What Light Breaks
by LuvEwan and Perky McSkittles
Summary: The Duel of the Fates went a little differently. Both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon survived. This changes a few things. AU Between TPM and AOTC.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** What Light Breaks  
**Authors:** The Lascivious LuvEwan and the Peppy Perky McSkittles  
**Timeframe:** Between TPM and AotC. Anakin is 16.  
**Summary:** The Duel of the Fates went a little differently. Both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon survived. This changes a few things.  
**A/N:** This is going to be a longer fic collaboration between the two of us. We posted a vig we co-wrote a while back and found we worked well together, so this came next. This was all done on google docs, which is awesome. Yay google! Thanks for reading!

**Chapter 1**

Standing on a balcony in the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan Kenobi looked out on the ever changing skyways. Speeders buzzed from place to place like distant insects swarming a succulent Muja fruit. Next to him stood his Padawan, who was already taller then him. Obi-Wan reached out and patted his Padawan's hair, which was worn in the standard style, trying to calm some of its unruliness.

"Master, it's fine," the younger man smirked and ducked away from his hand.

Obi-Wan sighed and straightened his own tunics. He was a little surprised the Council was summoning them for another mission, so soon after their return from that mess on Kaldonia, but every assignment was an opportunity for growth. It was a lesson he himself had learned, long ago, not to question.

Obi-Wan was about to make a comment to whither his Padawan's smirk. He had told his Padawan that a smirk was not appropriate on the face of a Jedi, but the boy never listened. His thoughts were interrupted as the council chamber opened.

"Master Kenobi, the council will see you and your Padawan now." The voice belonged to a young Twi'lek who was working for the council that day. Obi-Wan thanked the youngling and lead his Padawan into the chamber of High Council of the Jedi Order.

He walked to the middle of the room, Padawan in tow, and was impressed, as always, by the opulent grandeur on display. As one of the few places in the Temple seen by outsiders, it had to uphold the image of the mighty Jedi Order. Obi-Wan personally preferred the simple and functional areas of the Temple, such as his living quarters.

The two of them bowed, then stood in silence, eleven pairs (and one group of four) eyes staring at them. The proper procedure was do not speak unless spoken to, and Obi-Wan had drilled enough protocol into his wayward apprentice so that he was fairly confident in his ability to stay quiet.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Master Yoda said, "Master Obi-Wan, Padawan." He nodded to each of them. "Disturb your solace, I hope we have not."

"Of course not Master, we serve." Obi-Wan replied.

"Hmmmmm. Injured a Padawan has been. Complete their mission a team can not. Replace them, can you?"

"Of course, Master."

"Good. Rendezvous with Master Jinn and Padawan Skywalker on Mandalore you will."

"Master Jinn? Master, perhaps there are more suitable teams to go on this mission." Obi-Wan said. He could feel his Padawan's white eyes on him, wide with shock. Obi-Wan tried to close off their bond, slightly. He knew his emotions were tumultuous, they always were when his old Master was mentioned. That was the reason that Obi-Wan made sure to mention him as little as possible.

"More suitable?" Yoda chuckled. "Perhaps. Better suited? No. Go you will."

"Master, please. I am sure there are others who know more about the local culture or --"

"Excuses, you make?" Yoda interrupted. "If wish you not to go, speak the truth you should."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes briefly. Of course he did not wish to go. He would rather recite a mission report before the Council stark naked than work side-by-side with Qui-Gon Jinn again. He had eluded contact with the man for seven years, and successfully steered his Padawan clear as well. Force knows he needed to live as an example to Den, which meant avoiding situations that threatened his calm. Obi-Wan could think of no bigger threat to his serenity than Qui-Gon Jinn.

But a Jedi did not blatantly reject the mandates of the Council, especially in the name of personal squabble. A headache settled in his temples as he spoke, "I wish to serve the Republic, as the Council deems fit. If that means traveling to Mandalore, than my apprentice and I shall prepare to embark at once."

Master Windu steepled his fingers and stared intently at Obi-Wan, eyes hooded. Yoda gave a slow, satisfied nod.

"Notoriously militaristic, the Mandalorians are. Sense darkness coming, they do. Dangerous, it would be, for them to break our treaties. Act as diplomats, the Jedi must. Prevent this at all costs. The Mandalorians as an enemy, we do not need. Easing relations with them, Qui-Gon and Anakin were. Touring the capital, when a street gang attacked and struck by a stone, young Skywalker was."

"A stone?!" Obi-Wan's Padawan, Den Pasar, blurted with a laugh. Every eye in the room glanced at the Padawan who suddenly looked embarrassed. Obi-Wan sighed and put his hand over his face.

"Perfect, no one is, young Padawan. Remember that, _you_ should."

"Yes Master." Den dutifully said.

"Imperitive that a team replace Qui-Gon and Anakin. Weakness to the Mandalorians, we must not show. Leave at once, you do."

"Yes Master." Obi-Wan and Den bowed and exited the chamber.

---

The sky had gone gray during the meeting and a burgeoning wind whipped their cloaks. On the walk to the hangar, Obi-Wan avoided the questioning looks of his student. He focused on exhaling his turmoil, breathing in peace. A simple mission would meet a simple end. Perhaps the...other team would take their own transport back to Coruscant afterward. He had already made a point to avoid all unnecessary interactions. _The entire mission is unnecessary. Or should I say, our presence is._

Release. Breathe in peace, breathe in--

"So are you going to tell me what's going on?" Den asked, voice edged with annoyance, or excitement. "I thought I was going to see a bantha fly past the window, Master. You, _you_, my Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, were one step away from defying Master _Yoda_?"

Obi-Wan shot him a sharp, correcting look. "I would not defy the leader of the Jedi Order, Padawan. I was simply," words left him and he sighed, aware of how quickly he had allowed the frustration to needle at him, "caught off guard."

"Yeah, but caught off guard _by what_? Master, this has got to be one of the easiest missions we've had in months. I mean, Skywalker got sidelined by a _rock_? What's the big deal about a kriffing _rock_?"

"Language, Padawan." Obi-Wan chided wearily. Who knew where the boy picked up the more...colorful aspects of his vocabulary. He did not approve of cursing, but of course he did not approve of half of Den's habits. Sometimes when he saw his Padawan he saw only the contrasts between them: Den was a head taller, his skin and hair a bleached-cream white, his eyes colorless but luminous. He said things that Obi-Wan would not even dream of _thinking_ and carried confidence as assuredly as he did his lightsaber. Den believed himself anyone's match, including Anakin Skywalker's.

With Den, it was easy to tell where his thoughts were. He wore his heart on his robes, and he had a look on his face of boredom. "Well, Master?"

"Later, Padawan." Obi-Wan knew the moment he said it that he sounded harsh, the brief feeling of hurt from Den in the Force confirmed it and he sighed and kept walking in silence.

---

Several hours later, the tiny shuttle was flying in hyperspace. Mandalore was almost three days away, which was part of the reason for leaving so soon. In such a cramped vessel, the cockpit was the most spacious area to rest comfortably.

Den arranged his long limbs in the co-pilot seat. "Master?" Obi-Wan could hear the caution in his voice.

Another of Den's attributes was his ability to bounce back quickly. Most of the time this was a welcome trait but sometimes, such as now, it was annoying. "Yes, Den?"

"You didn't answer my question earlier about Skywalker and that rock."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Den..."

"Oh come on, Master. We are going to be in this ship for the next three days. You'll tell me eventually. Just give up now."

Obi-Wan turned to glare at his Padawan, but he knew Den was right. Once again he sighed. He needed to stop doing that before it became a habit.

"Very well. Its hard enough living with you normally but I know the next three days will be unbearable if I try to ignore you."

"You know me so well, Master." Den said with a teasing smirk.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and began talking. "It started, I suppose, when I was a Padawan. I was close to being knighted and my Master and I were sent on a mission to a planet in the Mid-Rim called Naboo..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"...And then we were in the Royal Hanger again. We were about to make our way to the Palace when the Sith creature appeared again." Obi-Wan said, throat dry after talking for so long.

Den's mouth had hung half-open during the story, and whatever color that existed in his pale face was gone. "The....the Sith" the word came out clumsily, a half-foreign concept, an extinct monster,"...found you?" He looked at Obi-Wan, mystified, as if he had never seen him before, "Did you fight it?"

"Fight it?" Obi-Wan asked, a grin on his face. For all Den's quirks, Obi-Wan loved to wind him up. "I killed it."

---

_Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master, Qui-Gon Jinn were fighting for their lives, and for Naboo against a tattooed brute of a Zabrak. The Sith's red bladed saberstaff expertly parrying every attack the Jedi could throw at him._

_He was fighting on a small walkway, trillions of gigawats of power pulsed around them, they felt nothing but the calm embrace of the Force. It guided his actions and the duel was a stalemated._

_Suddenly Obi-Wan's master was pushed back and down to another level and it was two blades against his one. He did not spare a look for his Master, he knew that the Force would have screamed if he fell to the darkness._

_The Sith was moving faster now, Obi-Wan seemed to have him on the run, but something felt off in the force. Could the Sith be trying to seperate them? It was too late to question, only to follow the Force whereever it led._

_They seemed to be in some sort of an energy beam hallway. The beams were on a timed cycle and Obi-Wan did not make it to the end before the Sith._

_Obi-Wan and the Sith were separated by a bright red energy field._

_The Sith sneered at him and he felt a calming touch in the presence of his Master. He did what he knew his master would. He disengaged his lightsaber and knelt. The Sith's sneer intensified, and Obi-Wan briefly wondered if the monster ever smiled._

_His connection with the Force intensified as he pushed aside all thoughts of the past, the present and the future. He focused simply on the all-consuming power at his finger tips._

_His consciousness flowed through the universe and at that moment he knew everything and nothing. He allowed its healing power to flow and it reinvigorated him._

_He knew a moment before the force field dropped that it would. He quickly rose and ignited his blade and the attack continued._

_His Master did not make it to the end of the hallway, and could only watch as Obi-Wan fought._

_The duel continued and Obi-Wan began to get the upper hand, his moment of meditation made all the difference. He was focused and calm. He knew was he had to do, and that he would succeed._

_Parry. Parry. Slice. And it was over. The Sith was falling into a gaping hole down the generator core._

_Evil returned to darkness._

_He disengaged his lightsaber and walked over to his Master. With the battle adrenaline fading, he could feel the burn in his limbs, the sweat soaked through his tunics and dripping from his jaw._

_Qui-Gon briefly gripped his shoulder."Well done, Padawan. It seems you had little need of me."_

_Obi-Wan stiffened."Well, Master, perhaps I won't for much longer." _

---

"You actually killed the Sith? You, my Master?" Den Pasar asked.

Obi-Wan was amused at his student's attitude. "Yes, Padawan, I did."

"But I've beaten you in a duel--"

"I let you win Padawan." Obi-Wan said, causing Den to pout.

"Fine, be that way. That doesn't answer my question though, Master. What's wrong with Master Jinn? You seemed very close."

"We were, Padawan. We were."

---

_The previous handful of hours were spent in meditation, below the Hall of Knighthood. He did not seek out the Force then as much as allow himself to disappear within it, finally, to lose his human frailties in the everything-essence of it._

_The Force was with him, in his blood. Peace in his blood._

_It was Qui-Gon's soft voice that called him, "Obi-Wan," in to the meditation chamber now. He walked to the center of the room, his lone footfalls echoing-- although the Sith's defeat served as his Trials, he still could not quite believe what he was here to do._

_To become._

_Obi-Wan knelt. He did not know if this was a traditional aspect of the Ceremony, but his knees were useless. The sabers of the Council ignited in unison, pointed towards the floor. A luminous arc around his feet._

_This was the culmination of Obi-Wan's life thus far, from the day he was handed over to the Temple: a dark room, twelve streaks of light, and his own steady breaths._

_Master Yoda. "We are all Jedi. The Force speaks through us."_

_He inhaled. His eyes were nearly closed and his other senses were clear as water. All the room hummed within him. He heard a trickling...whisper...he heard..._

_Anakin Skywalker?_

_Obi-Wan's heart quickened. Anakin was here...now? Why was he..._

_Yoda's words pulled him back. "Through our actions, the Force proclaims itself and what is real."_

_What is real. Yes._

_The Force._

_Qui-Gon. Talking to Anakin._

_"just...patient...."_

_"Today we are here to acknowledge..._

_"...almost over...."_

_Breathe._

_"What the Force has proclaimed."_

_He felt the gentle weight of Yoda's eyes on him. The Grand Master stood above him, wrinkles deepened by shadow, his green blade raised. He came to his feet. "Step forward, Padawan."_

_He did._

_"Obi-Wan Kenobi, by the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I dub thee, Jedi" and he felt the air cut across his neck, the blade sear through his braid. Lightness. "Knight of the Republic."_

_Master Windu handed him a familiar, grooved hilt."Take up your lightsaber, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight. And may the Force be with you."_

_The room was abruptly filled with light. He stared down at his saber, now the weapon of a full-fledged Knight, Jedi Knight. Numbly, he clipped it to his belt._

_Another Councilor, Master Tinn, pressed something into his palm. His braid, retrieved from the slick chamber floor. He blinked, closed his fingers around the coiled length. Twelve years long. For twelve years he had imagined holding the braid just this way, for a moment, before presenting it to his Master. He blinked again; his vision was blurring._

_The Council members had filed out. He remained where he stood._

_"I believe congratulations are in order."_

_He turned. Qui-Gon was smiling at him, his hand resting on Anakin's shoulder. The boy was wearing what looked like fresh tunics, his blonde hair shorn close to his head._

_Obi-Wan swallowed. Somewhere inside himself, he found a smile to return his Master. His former Master. Anakin Skywalker's Master, already, it seemed. "Thank you."_

_Anakin fidgeted. Qui-Gon appraised Obi-Wan, still smiling. "I wonder where the time went. You were not a man a few days ago."_

_"A few days can make all the difference, I suppose," Obi-Wan's eyes moved from Qui-Gon to Anakin, and back again. He realized, standing apart from them, that he was the outsider here. With his official ties to Qui-Gon severed, he could claim no priority over Anakin Skywalker. No, no, now it was quite the opposite._

_"I'm going to be a Jedi now, too." Anakin announced, obviously taking the silence as an opportunity to redirect attention to his own developments, "But I really hope my Knighting thing isn't as boring as this o--"_

_"Anakin," Qui-Gon interrupted, and Obi-Wan wished there wasn't an undercurrent of amusement there. The older man patted Obi-Wan's arm, and it felt like a nicety doled out by a vague acquaintance. "Well I suppose we should be going. Things will be busy now, for us all."_

_Obi-Wan nodded, watching his Mas--his former Master and the new apprentice walk away. "Wait!" They stopped; he briskly crossed the chamber._

_"I think this belongs to you," he said, very evenly, and dropped his braid into Anakin Skywalker's hand. For his part, the boy looked bewildered, if unimpressed._

_But Qui-Gon gripped Obi-Wan's now-empty hands and stared into his eyes. "Thank you, Obi-Wan." He chuckled, "Knight Kenobi."_

_Obi-Wan squeezed in response, once, and stood back. "Master Jinn."_

_As Anakin followed Qui-Gon to the lifts, Obi-Wan heard him ask what the big deal was. Obi-Wan's fingers lifted to caress the skin behind his ear. Nothing was there._

_Now he could be Obi-Wan Kenobi._

_The Force was with him. _

---

"So you gave your braid to Skywalker? Why?" Den asked as he fingered his own braid.

"My Master never had any difficulty letting go. He walked where the Force pointed and would leap at a moments notice. In my youth, I had a habit of drifting from the present, focusing on that which I could not change. By giving my braid to Anakin, it showed my Master that I had learned this lesson."

"What happened then?"

"I did not see Master Jinn again for a long while. He and Anakin were adjusting to life as Master and Padawan, and I was beginning to spread my wings as a Jedi Knight. After a few years of solo missions I kept running into this annoying initiate with white hair..."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Here is another chapter. I would not expect another one any time soon.This one was done but we were lazy. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 3**

"Master! I am _not_ annoying!" Den exclaimed. The small ship was still trudging through Hyperspace, and the quarters seemed to be getting more and more cramped. The journey was a long one, but at least they had the transport to themselves.

Obi-Wan smiled patronizingly, "If you say so, Padawan. You know the rest of the story from here."

"No I don't, and we have 18 hours left! Come on! Why did you pick me to be your Padawan?" Den inquired. Obi-Wan could tell his young learner was bored, but there was nothing he could do about that. Not until they arrived on Mandalore, at least.

"You reminded me of someone I knew when I was your age." Obi-Wan said ambiguously.

"A friend?" Den asked.

"Oh no, but I think you have much more potential." Obi-Wan said fondly.

"More potential?"

Obi-Wan paused for a moment and then said, "Once you overcome your anger, there is no limit to what you will accomplish."

Den rolled his eyes, "Yes, Master."

"Perhaps you should work on your obedience as well, Padawan." Obi-Wan said with a chuckle.

"Come on, Master! Tell me a story!" Den exclaimed, channeling his inner initiate.

"Very well. It all started when you were about twelve and a half..."

---

_Obi-Wan stood at a window, watching the gray-gleaming stirrings of the cityscape beyond the Temple. Truthfully he was not so interested in the bustle as he was in soaking in the unique essence of the Temple itself, the home he rarely saw since attaining his Knighthood._

As a Padawan he was always up for adventure, only reluctantly returning to Coruscant after missions with his Master. Now he understood why the Temple was a needed refuge from the evil and squabbling and plain desperation of the Universe, that even as a senior apprentice there was darkness he was shielded from. He closed his eyes and took an even breath, taking in the peace, releasing the weariness, taking in tranquility---

"Sithspit, Tooga, you know I won! Just get over it!"

"You don't win if you cheat!"

"If I cheated how come no Masters said anything? Talk about a sore loser!"

"You think you impressed any of those Masters? You cheat, Den! And you spar like you're on spice or something!"

"Take it BACK!"

When Obi-Wan heard the first definite blow, he sighed and stepped out from the windowed corner. Down the hallway from him, two male initiates were pushing and shoving, their boots sliding and squeaking against the slick floor.

The Knight walked up to the skirmish, arms crossed. "It's a lovely day outside, don't you think, boys?"

The initiates instantly sprung away from each other, turning wide, guilty eyes to him. The smaller of the pair, a plump human with dark braids, folded his hands. The other boy, tall and whip-thin and white-haired, quirked his lips nervously. "Yes," they answered Obi-Wan in hesitant unison.

"Much too lovely a day to stay inside, pursuing decidedly less lovely endeavors, don't you think?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Alright then. Perhaps it would be a good idea to dust each other off, apologize, and go your separate ways. And meditation seems in order as well."

Their shoulders slumped at that, but the boys dutifully straightened tunics and muttered their "sorry"s.

"Very well." He said, dismissing them with a brief nod. The short initiate all but shot down the hallway.

The other boy remained where he was, glancing at Obi-Wan, still sheepish. "Knight Kenobi, I don't know if you heard what Toorga was saying but he's a lying sack of slugs. No one can believe anything he ever says. I didn't cheat. I don't cheat."

Obi-Wan hiked an eyebrow. "What's your name, initiate?"

The boy audibly gulped. "Den Pasar."

"Well, Den," Obi-Wan paused long enough to smile, "I would certainly hope you don't cheat. But calling a fellow initiate a sack of slugs doesn't help your case. I do_ remember what it was like to be your age."_

Den's eyes were lit with relief. "Thank you, Knight Kenobi. I'm really very sorry for fighting. Sometimes Toorga just annoys the sithspit out of me and---"

Obi-Wan was surprised by his own exasperated laughter. "Has anyone ever told you are lacking a verbal filter, young one? You'll need to work on that. A good Jedi must always be diplomatic."

"Yes, Knight Kenobi. My instructors tell me I shouldn't let anything that comes into my head spill out of my mouth. So I'm trying my best with that."

Obi-Wan instinctively started to recite Yoda's particular mantra about the myth of 'try' but caught himself. For star's sake, he was starting to sound like a Master. He touched Den's shoulder briefly. "I'm glad."

---

Obi- Wan leaned back and exhaled. "I could not navigate the temple hallways without running into you after that."

"I thought you were following me around, Master." Den said, impishly.

"Following you? No, it was the Force. I was meant to train you, Padawan. It could have happened no other way."

Den looked interested and asked, "Really? Is that why you took me as your Padawan so soon after that?"

"Yes, I had a conversation with Master Yoda..."

---

_Master Yoda sat with his eyes closed in a dark room. Obi-Wan Kenobi was standing awkwardly to the side of the room, waiting for an acknowledgment from the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order._

It felt like he had been standing there for an hour. The old master had not moved since he entered the meditation chamber. If Obi-Wan had not reached out into the Force and felt the presence of Yoda, he might have worried for the Master's health.

Suddenly the master spoke,"Felt the spark, have you? Sit."

"I'm sorry Master, the spark?" Obi-Wan said as he sat.

"Felt it you have. See though you I can. The urge to take a Padawan, feel you?"

Obi-Wan was slightly flabbergasted. The thought of taking a student had only just occurred to him. Nothing seemed to get past the wily old Master. "Indeed, how did you know?"

"Since you were an infant, known you I have. Know you I do. Time is it?" Yoda asked.

Obi-Wan let out a small, undignified snort, "I think it might be. Did you know this was why I requested a meeting with you?"

"Know many things, I do. Guessed at this, I did. When for eight hundred years you have trained Jedi, know these things, will you." Yoda said with a chuckle, "Ready are you? Why now?"

"I... I am ready Master. I have been a knight for three years and I may feel a connection to this initiate."

"May? Not Certain, are you?" Yoda asked.

"No, I feel something, but I do not know... I can't describe it. I feel the urge to go to him when there is no reason."

"Hmmmm... Caught your eye, who has?"

"Den Pasar." Obi-Wan said quickly.

"Troubled he is. A good influence on the boy, you will be. Approve, I do. Spoken to him, have you?"

"Not much and not about this, but we do seem to keep crossing paths, Master." Obi-Wan replied.

'Works in mysterious ways, the Force does. Approve of this match, I do." Yoda said with a nod.

"Thank you Master." Obi-Wan said, relieved.

"Approach him soon, you should. Knows his time is almost up, he does. Change that, a master will. Understand this well, you do." Yoda said with what could pass as a smile.

---

"I must have made a great impression on you, Master." Den veritably beamed. "I always thought it took a lot longer for a Master to decide on the right Padawan."

Obi-Wan leaned back in his chair. "It does, in many cases. But the Force was, as you are, quite insistent. And I have never been in a position to question the will of the Force."

"One thing still bugs me, though."

"And what's that, Den?"

"You still won't admit that Toorga is a sack of slugs."

"Padawan!"


End file.
